University of Pennsylvania
Admissions
Interested in attending University of Pennsylvania?
On this page, you'll learn how difficult it is to get into University of Pennsylvania, we'll dig into high school grades and test scores, and you'll find out the factors the school considers when reviewing applications.
Admission Rates
Is it difficult to get into University of Pennsylvania?
Using the most up-to-date data on record, Penn accepted 5% of applicants. We classify this as most selective.
In the most recent year, 65,226 people applied and 3,523 were accepted.
Accepted/Applied
Acceptance rates at colleges can change over time, with some becoming more competitive and others accepting more students. Here’s a look at the acceptance rate trend for the past 3 years at University of Pennsylvania:
Acceptance rates at schools can vary depending on if the student is in-state, out-of-state, or international.
Of those accepted, 68% ended up enrolling at University of Pennsylvania, making their yield rate Very High. The yield rate is the percentage of accepted students who enroll at the school. You can use the yield rate to find out how coveted a school is for the students who apply to it.
Application Factors
You can increase your chances of getting into University of Pennsylvania by looking at what the school considers during the application process.
Here are the things Penn considers:
Very Important
- Academic GPA
- Application Essay
- Character/Personal Qualities
- Recommendation(s)
- Rigor of Secondary School Record
Important
- Class Rank
- Extracurricular Activities
- Talent/Ability
- Volunteer Work
- Work Experience
Considered
- Alumni/AE Relation
- First Generation
- Geographical Residence
- Standardized Test Scores
- State Residency
Not Considered
- Interview
- Level of Applicant's Interest
- Religious Affiliation/Commitment
Grades & Testing
Do you have the grades and test scores to get into University of Pennsylvania?
Grades
Students who recently attended University of Pennsylvania as freshmen had an average unweighted high school GPA of 3.91. 91% of freshmen who attended Penn were in the top 10% of their graduating high school class, and 99% were in the top 25% of their graduating high school class.
These are the high school grade point averages (unweighted) of students who enroll:
High School GPAs
Applicants submitting SAT Scores
Applicants submitting ACT Scores
SAT Verb Scores
Application Deadlines
These are the deadlines for applying to University of Pennsylvania. Application deadlines are subject to change, so please verify all deadlines with the school.
Regular Admissions
Early Decision
Early Decision is a program in which students commit to attend a school if they are accepted. Some schools have a higher acceptance rate for Early Decision than regular decision. Penn's Early Decision acceptance rate is 14%, compared to 5% overall. If you’re sure you want to attend University of Pennsylvania, you might consider applying Early Decision.
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